A Fred H. Rohr Elementary School teacher was a presenter at the largest virtual education technology conference, EdmodoCon, on August 7. Stibaly Johnson, a sixth grade math and technology resource teacher, was one of 11 teachers from around the globe who will present at the conference.
The online conference allows teachers to share, inspire, and showcase ways they use the education technology resource Edmodo, as well as other digital tools, in the classroom. Johnson shared how she’s integrating technology to facilitate group discussions among students, streamline grading, and utilize lesson plans to help students practice their writing and speaking skills.
Last year, CVESD piloted Edmodo with 11,372 students. Now, more than 13,000 students are using the educational network. The platform allows teachers and students to securely connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications. The District chose Edmodo because it is safe for students and gives teachers the ability to deliver individualized learning, regardless of class size.
“The entire CVESD community is proud that Ms. Johnson will have the opportunity to showcase her knowledge and expertise integrating Edmodo within the classroom and outside of the classroom to a global audience,” said Matthew R. Tessier, CVESD’s Executive Director of Technology and Instruction Services and Support.
“In particular, we are elated to see our students utilizing Edmodo and experiencing the integration of technology, a 21st Century skill, into classroom instruction and at home at such a high level. Our District has more than 13,000 Edmodo student users and we are confident that our children will continue to excel academically as a result of technology integration, similar to Ms. Johnson’s students.”
Stibaly started using Edmodo with her students last year, and was part of a cohort of 20 teachers from across the District.
“It has really helped time wise because I can identify what my students need right away,” Johnson said. “It is also more engaging. The students are actually coming up with their own projects that they want to demonstrate through apps such as Go!Animate.”
For example, in social studies, the students take the topic they are studying and use Go!Animate through Edmodo to create a digitally animated story, with characters they create.
“A lot of the students guide themselves,” Johnson said. “It is really exciting. In order for the character to speak correctly, you have to spell correctly, and you have to use correct punctuation. The students go through many, many drafts. Before, when writing an essay, they might not have revised as much. This is a little more exciting. They get to pick what they want to present and create their own stories around the topic we are learning about. Last year, I had students making anti-cyber bullying videos and presenting them to the younger grades.”
After EdmodoCon, Johnson will hold a training at Rohr for 17 other teachers about fully implementing Edmodo in their classrooms. Edmodo has been an invaluable tool, she said.
“I don’t have to spend my class time scoring things,” she added. “A lot of the programs score the student work themselves.”
In addition, Edmodo offers parent accounts, which give parents insight into their children’s classroom activities, she said.Click to view slideshow.
